Shoe-shank stiffener



July 20, 1926.,

W. H. NICKERSON SHOE SHANK STIFFENER Filed Jan. 19, 1925 patented July 20, H326.

. UNITED STATES 1,593,348 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. NICKEBSON, F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-SHRINK STHFENEE.

Application filed .i'anuary ward, and adapted to secure the stifiener to the insole, the spurs being spaced from the .ends of the stiifener, so that the stifiener has extensions projecting outward from the spurs, and adapted to prevent liability of a prying dislodgement of the spurs from a sole in which they have been inserted.

For the sake of economy of metal, the blank from which the stifi'ener is made, is oblong and substantially rectangular, and the spur-defining slits are made wholly within the margin of the blank, so that when the spurs are bent upward, notches are formed in the longitudinal edges, and the portions of the strip between the spurs are considerably narrowed and constitute rela tively weak necks connecting the major portion of the stiffener with the extensions. Heretofore a stiffener thus characterized has been provided in which the spurs areiformed wholly on the extensions and outside the.

narrow necks, so that bending strain exerted on the stifi'en'er, when the spurs are inserted in a sole, is liable to bend or break the stiffener crosswise at said necks, and break away the spurs from the body of the stidener.

The object of this invention is to provide a stidener, the spurs of which are located wholly between the necks and upon the main portion of the stiflener, instead of on the extensions, so i that strains transmitted from the main portion to the spurs, or vice versa, are not exerted on the narrow necks.

. Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification a Figure 1 is a side view of the slitted blank from which the improved stifiener is made.

Figure 2 is a top view, and

Figure 3 an edge View of stiffener.

Figure 4 shows in perspective, and on an enlarged scale the end portions ofthe stiffener, the mid-length portion being broken away. v

the completed 19, 1925. Aerial No. 8,229.

The same reference characters indicate the" same parts in all of the figures.

My improved stifi'ener is struck up from the oblong rectangular blank strip shown by Figure 1. That portion of the stifiener called the body portion, is designated by" 12.

Extending inward from the transverse edgesof the strip are slits 13, the inner ends of which are spaced apart by relatively narrow portions 14, which constitute necks in the completed stifiener. The slits define the inner edges of sole-penetrating spurs 16, which are bent upward from the strip. The portion of the strip between the inner ends of the pairs of slits shown by Figure 1, constitutes the main or body ortion 12. The spurs 16 are bent fromsai body portion at the extremities thereof. The end portions 18 of the strip project substantially in line with the body portion between, and longitudinally outward from the bases of the spurs. Said end portions are adapted to bear on an outer sole and prevent prying dislodgement of the' s urs from an inner sole in which they are inserted. The usual function of the stifiener is exerted wholly by the body portion 12 and spurs 16.

It will now be seen that the spurs are formed Wholly on the body portion extremities from which they project, and that the strength of the spurred body portions is not impaired by the relatively narrow necks 14.

Although I have shown the same formation at each end of the stiffener, it is obvious that this formation may be used only at the forward end, and that the rear end of the stifi'ener may be otherwise formed and adapted to be secured to an inner sole.

The body portion islongitudinally curved, as shownby Figure 3, and provided with a longitudinal boss forming a longitudinal channel in one side and a ridge on the opposite side, as heretofore. The ends of the boss are spaced from the end portions 18, so that only the body portion 12 is stifiened by the boss. v

lit will also be seen that the embossed body portion 12 is relatively still and more rigid than the end portions 18, which latter have substantially fiat surfaces that bear against both the inner and outer soles between which the stiil'ener'is arranged.

Such flat end portion 18 at the forward n: r portion 12 by the reduced and rela tively flexible neck is adapted to conform to flexure of the outer sole sothat its free extremity is not'liable to dig into and injure the, outer sole.

It is desirable to employ mild basic steel (untempered) as the material of the stifl'ener, this material being free from liability to be cracked by embossing dies, and differing in this respect from tempered steel. I

The location of the spurs wholly on the body portion, permits the employment of untempered steel without the objections to its flexibility, WhlCh would exist if the spurs' sions.

I claim A shoe-shank stiflener struck-up from an oblong strip of sheet metal of uniform thickness, and provided with a longitudinal were formed asheretofore on the end extenstiflening boss, the ends of which boss are s aced from the ends of the stiffener, so that t e stiffener has a relatively stifi' body portion and substantially flat end portions, the end portion at the forward'end of the stiffener being provided with oblique slits extending inward toward the body portion and providing with the outer edges of the stifl'- ener a pair of spurs which are bent from the plane of the body portion, and from the for ward end thereof, said slits imparting a ta- 'pering form to the said fiat end portion, so'

that the latter is connected with the body portion by a relatively narrow and flexible neck, the flat end portion being adapted to bear on both an inner and an outer sole in advance of the spurs to prevent dislodgment of the spurs'from an inner sole and to conform to flexure of the outer sole, to prevent injury to the latter by the extremity of the end portion.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

WILLIAM H. NICKERSON. 

